2006 ram 2500 5.9 diesel 4x4 auto 128000 miles. all stock except different muffler
I have spent a month trying to find a strange noise coming from the exhaust on my truck . it doesn't sound like a knock almost a rattle consistent with rpm at idle and in drive or park up to about 2000 rpm but is lost in the higher frequency . the noise resemble keys on a key chain or wrenches in a drawer rattling . can hear it best standing at rear of cab.but is also fairly audible in passenger wheel well it's not a hard knock almost like an exhaust tick and it seems mettalic . chk chk chk
no smoke or power loss noted
I've used a stethoscope on every nook and cranny but can only hear the noise on the exhaust pipe.
removed exhaust in segments until the truck was running with nothing on the turbo noise still audible hard to hear with nothing on turbo tho . (lol)
new turbo and gasket from dodge
adjust valves. .10 and .20 they were like bang on . nothing seemed broken or out of place.
figured the noise could be coming from somewhere else by chance. ran with no belt .
retimed cp3 (quited another noise I thouggt was normal )
bolts on exhaust manifold were all tight no soot stains .
torque converter bolts were tight
remove trans inspection plate no aluminum shavings and no wobble but doesn't rule out flex plate.
injector kill test showed no change . injectors were changed a year ago for smoking and excessive return flow . truck ran like new after .
checked all injector hold downs .
read on forum bout thrust bearing . no crank walk but could be I guess .
read about valve seats but performance hasn't been effected and no smoke would expect harsher noise
didn't see anything wrong with valve train but going to remove and inspect on bench .
going to remove manifold and check on bench for cracks and warps. feel like I should of started here .
The last thing you mentioned was the exhaust manifold.
Could just be a gasket.???
A mechanic told my daughter she had a cracked exhaust manifold on her 03 Grand Cherokee 4.7L , which from what I found out is common. So I ordered one to replace it myself. Once I got it all apart, the manifold was OK, just a bad gasket. (Which was cool as it saved me almost $475ish)
this is my first topic created I went to edit and thought it would just add it but it removed my whole post had to retype it all lol . thanks for your input
I'm going to getting it to running condition I have a lot of stuff removed at the moment take a video of the noise upload it and then take the manifold off . ironically I just did a manifold on a 2007 at work today it was cracked bad . I noticed the gaskets were layered steel and we're almost disintegrated. my bolts all were tight but stranger things have happened.
I had a similar noise on one of my trucks with an aftermarket muffler. Ended up being the perforated tubing inside the muffler coming apart from the body of the muffler. The weld broke and it only rattled at certain RPM but was otherwise quiet. It drove me nuts for about 3 days. I'd check there before getting into more expensive stuff, start simple and cheap(er). Good luck...aaand I just read you took the exhaust off in segments with no luck. Disregard, I'm a little slow.
Your truck sounds like a 2nd gen 24V. What's your rail pressure at idle? No check engine light? It may just be the video, but it sure sounds like you're running at a high rail pressure.
Stupid annoying stock injector rattle. Change out the down pipe to a mandrel bent one and will mitigate the noise somewhat. Put in a set of injectors that don't rattle and it is much better.
OEM stock VCO nozzles can be much noisier as cerb stated. Before you spend a pile of money replacing those almost new nozzles, try 1 oz per gallon of TC-W3 outboard oil Walmart SuperTech the cheap stuff and a double dose of Cummins Fleetguard diesel fuel injector cleaner, any Cummins parts counter. You can cut back to 0.5 oz per gallon of the outboard lube and see if they are still quiet.
Nozzles may have some carbon up inside the VCO affecting pintle closure noise or carbon in the holes affecting spray pattern making for noisy uneven flame front. Do you tow heavy with it several times a year to burn the carbon off? If not, start.
The outboard lube serves both as an injector cleaner/lube and pintle landing cushion. This ULSD is thin like cat pee, no lubricity or cushion effect. 5%>10% commercial bio diesel also works and is less expensive.
Replace the stock VCO nozzles when they wear out with BMS, best available at the present time for guarenteed quality, long life and quiet.
My stock injector noise rattle quit when I started the TC-W3 Fleetguard or bio adds. I tow heavy only, not a car for me.
Find a quality diesel retailer in your area that your motor runs well and is quieter and stick with them. Tremendous different in diesel quality out there on the road.
Be aware that the SAC nozzles may not pass the new EPA required dyno roller testing coming for diesel in the next couple years. Too much cheating on the diesel emissions has led to this.
Struggled like hell every year trying to make my old tow machine, 77 Ford 3/4 ton with 460 dual quads on high rise manifold pass dyno roller emissions every year, finally just gave up and sold the truck. Was setting the the inspection line trying to keep the Ford hot to pass when in rolls this beater Buick wagon with one of those GM morphidite 350 V8 car diesel, damn thing smoking like fuel oil chimney, station wagon full of welfare kids screams. That stinking smoking black spewing beast passed and rolled right on out. My HiPro Ford 460 tuned to a cat's whisker, nyet.
thanks everybody for the input it's much appreciated .
ran into a few issues never got around to checking the manifold going to do that tommoro. but first I am headed to Walmart to try some oil in the fuel . from what I understand I am using the best fuel in the city. we got shell diesel and then shell premium enriched diesel. I guess I should try different stations . I also run shell rotell a 15w40 changed every 5000 miles . I have no emmisions testing where I live so I can run whatever I want . I'm going to look into the different nozzles . if the oil doesn't help. I should say it's definitely quieter the more pieces of exhaust I pull off up to the turbo but yes still there . I also have a friend who works at a exhaust shop I'm going to ask him about different down pipe .
as for the video the sound may be distorted a little but it was just the one that sounded most like the sound In person. no engine lights . monitoring rail pressure actual follows set point on the scan tool haven't put a gauge to low pressure side yet .
another point I may add about the noise . it's loudest at idle to 1000 or so rpm and it's much worse under load .
the truck moves equiptment it's not a car and spends lots of life off the pavement.
went to Walmart got some oil added it and drove it . and it was like a switch . night and day difference for engine noise and smooth ess . I will continue to add this to my truck from now on. it's hard to believe . my noise I was chasing is still there but is now only noticeable at idle any higher and it's gone and the noise is reduced probably 90 percent I can live with it now . I'll get some injector cleaner now and notify if it goes away completely. appreciate all the help.
Injectors are wearing and the nozzles are eroding, pretty typical. The additives just cushion the mechanical pieces and smooth the combustion event enough to get rid of the hard noises.
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